Crushing or pulverizing apparatus.



w. KITTo.

CRUSHING 0B PULVERIZING APPARATUS.

(Application tiled Dec. 29, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented sept. 3, lem.

No. 682,087. Patented sept. 3, 190|. w. Km0.

CBUSHING 0R PULVERIZING APPARATUS.

(Application led Dec. 29, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

y v dw 121% #ifi/- No. 682,087. Patented Sept. 3, I'90I.

W.`KITTO.

CBUSHING 0B PULVERIZING APPARATUS.

(Application mad ne@ 29, 1891.) (No Model.) SSheets-Shget 3.,

UNITED STATES PATENT Garros.

WALTER KITTO, OF HAMMERSMITI-I, ENGLAND'.

CRUSHING OR PULVERIZING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart ofy Letters Patent No. 682,087, dated September 3, 1901.

Application filed December 29, 18.9.7. Serial No. 664,334.A (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER KITTO, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at'21 Westcroft Square, Hammersmith, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Crushing or Pulverizing Apparatus, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 18,741, dated October 7, 1895,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide a new and improved crushing or pulverizing mill of the class or type wherein balls travel in a circular raceway and a rotary part'or propeller rests and turns upon the balls.

The object of my invention is accomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a'compound'view, partly in vertical central section and partly in elevation, showing a construction of crushing apparatus adapted for wet grinding. of the said crusher. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a modification of the apparatus adapted for dry crushing. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of the said modification, and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 7 7, Fig. 4.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein the letter a indicates the body or case of the ore-Crusher constructed with a concave annular ball path or raceway b, containing a ball c, which is caused totraverse the ball-path through the medium of the' rotary propeller d. In practice I have found a single ball to give the best results, in that it avoids the jammingwhich sometimes occurs when a series of balls is employed. I do not, however, limit myself to a single ball.

The propeller isbell-shaped, and its lower inclined edge is preferably composed of a wearing-ring d', of chilled or hardened or other material, suitably secured in position. The upper end of the propeller is formed with a concaved contracted neck cl2, fitting a partly spherical orsubstantially hemispherical block Fig. 2 is a plan or collar c, secured to a perpendicular spindle or shaft f by means of a key eX or otherwise. The spindle or shaft f is mounted in a lower bearing f. and an upper bearing f3, by which it is steadied and su pported and within which it is susceptible of rising and falling to suit the conditions required-as, for example, when the ball c encounters and rides over some obstacle in the ball-path, as will be obvious. The spindle or shaft is provided with a pulleyf2, by which it may be turned for th purpose of turning the partly spherical or substantially hemispherical collar e, which serves as a driver for the propeller. To effect this, the collar is formed with a plurality of radial lugs c', entering notches or recesses d3 in the inner side of the propeller, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.

g g are the springs which are employed in combination with theaforesaiduniversaljoint at the top of the propeller. These sprin gs may either be ordinary spiral steel springs or may be formed of india-rubber rings or disks. They are arranged between a pair of disks or washers g g2, the latter of which rests upon the top edge of the propeller, and their tension is adjusted by means of a tightening-nut g3 on the screw-threaded upper extremity of the spindle f.

The upper spindle-bearing f3 is shown as arranged within a central contracted extension or neck a of the body or case a, and above said bearing the spindle is provided with an annular shoulder an, against which the block or collar e bears to make the latter more secure and to facilitate the assembling of the parts incorrect position. After the block or collar is applied to the spindle the propeller is slipped over the block or collar, and the lugs e are made to enter thel notches or recesses d3. The washers g g2 andthe spring-plates g are then placed upon the spindle and all secured together by thenut g3, after which the spindle carrying the parts specified is dropped or pushed down into its bearings until the annular bearing-surface d of the propeller rests .upon the ball c. This ball, therefore, entirely supports the weight of the spindle, the block or collar, and the propeller. The're is no rigid connection between the washers g g2 or the spindle and IOO and the propeller are susceptible of rising Aamalgamated platesover whichffthe water is ter.

and falling-as, for instance, when the ball c rides over an obstacle in the ball-path.

The concaved contracted neck d2, the partly..

spherical or substantially hemispherical collar e, and elastic plates yor springs g constitute in elect a universal joint.

h is a sheet-metal casing or dome surrounding the propeller and serving in the arrangement in question toarrestany splashes from the crushing-path b.

t' is a sieve which is secured in an opening' formed in one side of a ring a2. This ring isr bolted ou the casing d and serves to carry the dome 7t. 7c is the hopper for the supply of ore. This hopper opens into a casing 7c', fromwhich a Ychute 7a2 serves to carry the material into .the

crushing-path. Below the mouthof the hopper-and' inside'the casing 7o .is arranged a tray 7a3, pivoted at one .end at 704 and'having its other endlsuspended from an adjusting device 765, whereby the tray can be moved toward or away from the mouth of the. hopper.

Thel fall of the material from thehopper'is checked by this tray, and in order to'prevent the material sticking on the tray` meansa're provided for automatically shaking the lat- These means, as shown also in Figs. 3 and 4, comprise ak connecting-rod'k, extending from the tray'to a crank-pink?, carried by a disk 708 ou the end-of a shaft 709, `driven byl gearing from a parallel shaftko, to. which motion is imparted lby means of a'belt and pulley It from a pulley f4 at' the upper end of the spindle f. The connecting rod i 706 passes through a suitable opening in the side Aof the casingk. e

The operation of 'this form of apparatus isV as followss 'When the spindle 'f is driven by the vpulley f2, it in turn drivesthe propeller d through the medium of the Vprojections c' on theblock e. The propeller presses on the ball or'ballsc with a force due .to its .weight and to the springs g, which force is ample to causethe said ball or balls to travel around the crushing-pathb. 'While the crushing is proceeding, thev propeller willlall the. timezbe working or v'yielding.slightly onf/the block e, soY giving an elastic movement and moderating thev strain on the shaft. AThe vlatterwill also be constantlywmov-ing rup anddown slightly'in its bearings as thelba-lls'travel :over the materialy to' be crushed; During thecrushing operationwater isfed into the crush` ing-path and flows 'away through Ythe.V sieve 1',-

carrying withlit thefcrushed material. Any fine gold `in thesaid washings is collectedlby allowedto flow, while any coarse gold is re- `taine'dby mercury placed in a recess bxl in .the crushing-path.

-Referring now to thearrangement for dry crushing shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the crusher employed in this case is substantially similar to that hereinbefore described, with the exception that insteadof the ground material being removed by water means are provided for carryin git away by an air-blast. For this purpose a circular air-pipe 7 is arranged ,around the lowerpart of theneck a of the casing and is provided with apertures adapted to direct the air-blast onto the crushingpath b. The said neck a' is provided with passages as, through which also air is led, this air flowing downward between the neck :cz/and the innerfsurface of the propeller d and serving tol prevent dust from the rollertrack findingy its yway into the bearings or onto the block e. 4The air entering by the cir cular pipe 7 and the passages aflescapeslbya pair of trunkshrabove thedome'orcasing h. The propeller `clmay in thiscase lle-provided -on its outer surface `with inclined-, air-proyrect to the casing.r1/'insteadofmerelyresting in the upper partl thereof, asl in'Figs. l and 2. Furthermore, 'india-rubber rings .or disks g are used as springs yatthe upper. part of the propeller instead of' ordinaryspiral springs.

The action ofLthis construction of v,dry orusher' is analogous to that ofthewetcrusherfhere# inbeforeidescribed. The ore .or ,material is supplied f-romavr hopper, as before, andafter it'has become sufficiently reduced `the .airs currents strike it and carry itaway np the trunks h' to the depositing apparatusthrough a curved. cowl or hood h2. fTher-airl iscaused topass intothe milland mix with theground material, .thusfacilitatin g its `bein. g drawn ,0E lbyan eXhaustfan. The bell-shaped propeller isso formed that-apartial'vacuum' is created -inits interior, thereby.A causing the air. to rush through the open spacesf "Theair-is Lcaused Vto pass continuously through the interior of the propeller and preventszdustprgrit set;

- tling on the bearings. -vThe airinpassing `around the bearings tends to keep them cool. :In the case of .wet grinding water. or ground material is prevented from' being washed over intothe' bearings.

'I claim.- p l vl. In` a ballcrushingfmilL-the combination of a vertical ldrivingfspindle, abell-shaped ball-propeller driven by the spindleand provided on its outerv surface-.with vertical,\ra

diating wings, Aa ball-raceway containing a ball,` a tubular neck rising centrallyvfrom the ball-raceway into the bell-shapedl propeller,

`open tothe atmosphere' at itslower end and throughwhich and the propelleran ali-recurrent is createdby said-radiating win-gs, as-

cending air-escape trunks arranged outside the propeller, andgan yair-supply pipe constructed to direct-fair ontotheball-raceway, substantially as described.

2. In a ball crushing-mill, the combination IOO of a vertical driving-spindle, a bell-shaped trunks arranged outside the propeller, sub- I propeller driven by the spindle and having stantially as described. radiating Wings mounted on its exterior, a In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ball-ra'eway containing aball,a tubular neck my hand this 13th day of December, 1897. 5 rising rom the center of the ball-raceway,

having an open top, open at its lower end to WALTER KITTO the atmosphere and through which and the Witnesses: propeller an air-current is created by said CEAS. B. BURDON, radiating wings, and ascending air-escape A. B. CRoFTs. 

